JOIN USLike everything around, gardens are also evolving. Tastes have changed with increased global exposure and new age requirements. Old school gardening is heavily influenced by English formal and cottage style gardens.
It bestows great appeal on flowers, hedges, and tries to achieve a sort of cornucopia. It revolves around raising a colourful garden where flowers are the primary attraction. But, flowers are transient and hedges too are high-maintenance. An alternate but yet untapped and undervalued approach is to shift primary focus on creating a good skeleton or framework for the garden.
This means planning a scheme of permanence that not only stays neat and appealing throughout the year, and over several years, but can easily work as backdrop for, or enhance the splashes of flowers as and when needed. The plant kingdom is rich with features besides flowers that are interesting and when used appropriately create layers of fascination even in the most humble gardens. A wider appreciation of branching patterns, foliage variations, bark details, growing habit can be very rewarding.
To achieve a garden of permanence and little upkeep, the key factor is a planting scheme focusing on the plant’s skeleton and foliage.
Skeleton determines the natural pattern of growth which ultimately determines dimensions and shape. Though these can be modified with human interference, if looking for simpler gardening solutions, it is wise to develop a wider appreciation of a plant’s natural beauty.
Tree shapes & branches
A good example of shape is travellers’ palm, Ravenala madagascariensis. It has fan-shaped leafing and retains it. In the small tree category, frangipani has a special place because of its architectural branching pattern. Leaves are fewer and uniformity of branch bifurcation makes it fit to become an accent. The drooping habit of willows and bottle brush or conical conifers, layered Cornus or round humble mango, natural shapes are aplenty.
The branching habit of a tree guides the eye and therefore appropriate treatment of view can enhance the whole setting. Many tree barks are unusual and never cease to evoke sensory experience. Birch trees are the first ones to come to mind when talking of intriguing barks. Most well known is its peeling paper-like bark. Many trees and bushes have coloured barks like all white or red. Many change colour with the season. Some have patterns that are attention catching.
Desert palms have strong demarcations that give a sense of ruggedness. A zen-appeal lies in simplicity and one cannot skip bamboos in that respect. The sheer variety in stem pattern and colour makes it so attractive. The great thing about tapping these subtle potentials of plants is that treating these with appropriate night time lighting creates an unbeatable magic which enlivens the garden like a work of art. Especially for smaller gardens, researching for interesting trees is worth the effort.
Foliage plays a more obvious role in contributing to the garden. Tapping foliage is not limited to simply including different shapes and colours and sizes, but goes beyond to create tantalising combinations by juxtaposing elements. Right positioning and proportion can result in a high appeal and a whole new level of refined gardening.
Playing with the colours and habits is a combination of art and science. The light and water requirements are basics to be matched before putting two types together. Root habit is important to consider for long term reduced maintenance. Combinations can be made to complement, create contrasts or develop background or upgrade groundcover.
Once you learn to recognise and appreciate the beauty besides flowers, an entirely fresh range opens up. It is easy to go overboard. But keep in mind creating a wonderful few is always better than chaos of too many.
Not all grass is green
Putting aside conventional garden plants, a category that fulfills new-age ideal garden plant requirement is grasses. The group consists of both true grasses and look alike which scientifically may be sedges, rushes (grass-like plants), cat-tails (herbs with sword-shaped leaves) or the familiar bamboos.
Unfortunately this group is victim of constricted approach to planting choices. Given an unbiased observation, these are the most dynamic and artistic plant forms. Dynamic, because they dance and rustle to the slightest movement of wind and artistic, because throughout the day, an interplay of changing sunlight and the dynamism keeps creating sensory magic.
Many are bestowed with plumes that are equally tantalising. And note that “grass is not always green.” Japanese blood grass is a brilliant red. Almost black is Ophiopogon. Miscanthus is a huge group that includes variegated types too. Stipa is golden in sun.
Pennisetum sp is a deep burgundy. Grasses offer the longest period of interest under perennials. Grow these by themselves or combined with other plants, you will never regret the effort. This group can be a signature of a modern and eco-conscious garden.
(The writer is a landscape designer.)